How to Install RAUPLATE

RAUPLATE™ is an innovative product from REHAU designed to make radiant infloor installations fast and clean, and provides improved performance in comparison to other methods of radiant infloor solutions.

Results from a study by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University made it obvious that the best radiant infloor system to use is the RAUPANEL Radiant Infloor product, however, that product has some installation limitations as it needs to go on the surface of the floor.

Where you can not install radiant on the surface, the same study shows that a product like RAUPLATE™ is an excellent choice. The study speciﬁcally identifies that the heavy extruded aluminum design of the RAUPLATE™ provides a significant BTU performance improvement over standard staple up applications. In the study, it was shown that the heavy aluminum panels provide up to 2.5 times as many BTU's as a staple up radiant systems would.

What You Need To Install RAUPLATE™

RAUPLATE™ heat transfer plates efficiently and evenly distribute the heat from the pipe to the room above, and they do this by aluminum plates installed below the sub-floor in the joist space. The RAUPLATE™ securely holds two pipes at 8 in on center which is well suited for many residential new construction and retrofit projects. The system typically contains the following components;

1/2 in. RAUPLATE Heat Transfer Plates

1/2 in. RAUPEXO2 Barrier Pipe

PRO-BALANCEBrass Heating Manifold

1/2 in. R20 Brass Manifold Outlets

Universal Fixingor 1/2 in. RAILFIX Rails

PE Protection Sleeves

It is very important to note that the amount of material required comes from a material take off design done by the supplier of the product. In our case, you would supply us with a drawing of the room or building, and we would then provide you with an itemized break down of the materials required. There is never any guess work in doing a material list for a RAUPLATE™ installation.

How RAUPLATE Is Installed

Every home and building is different, and there are local code requirements, building construction issues that must all be met. This is a general overview of how the product is installed and does not replace the need for a proper design and installation guides. Things like clearing the joists of nails, checking joist penetration requirements and knowing the surface flooring materials are key, and are not covered in our general overview.

The first part of the equipment to be installed is the RAUPLATE™ which is screwed up to the joist using 6 screws. A minimum 12"" gap is needed between the RAUPLATE™ and the joist penetrations. A minimum gap of 1"" must be kept between panels. On the joist penetration side of the RAUPLATE™, a Universal Fixing Rail is used to hold the pipe in place.

Once the plates are installed, it is time to run the radiant RAUPEX pipe into the RAUPLATE™ which is illustrated in the REHAU diagram below. It is important to keep a 6"" gap from the end of the joist bay and the pipe. With one end of the first loop connected to the manifold, you start feeding pipe into the joist space as illustrated below.

When you get to the end of the joist bay, you have a better/best method for ending the circuits. Ideally, you want to keep the pipe inside the aluminum RAUPLATE™ as shown below in the diagram below. If you can not do this you will want to install RAILFIX to hold the pipe in place as shown below.

The last step is to install pipe protection sleeves on the pipe to prevent rubbing as the pipe expands and contracts from the hot water in the radiant pipe. The final diagram below shows how the RAUPLATE™ looks once all the aluminum plates are installed with the RAUPEX pipe, RAILFIX pipe holders, and the protection sleeves to prevent rubbing where the pipes go through the joists.

The final step of the installation is to insulate the joist spaces. To ensure thermal comfort of the room occupants, proper operation of the system and efficient use of energy, the joist space must be insulated after completing the installation, and pressure testing of the RAUPLATE™ system.

Install insulation with a 2 to 4 in. (5 to 10 cm) air gap between the pipe and the top of the insulation. Ensure there is no air infiltration into this air gap where heat would escape by sealing leaks and insulating ends of joist bays. Always follow local codes to ensure compliance with insulation minimums. Insulation of R-19 above heated spaces and R-30 above unheated spaces to direct heat upward is recommended.

Hopefully having read this, you now have a basic overview of how the RAUPLATE™ product works and is installed. If you have any specific questions about this product or need pricing for a project, you can contact us below."

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